Review of Inherent Vice (2014) by A A — 25 Jan 2015

Paul Thomas Anderson's latest is enthralling, confusing, jumbled, frustrating, and hilarious. As you watch it, you may get the sense you are trying really hard to pay attention to something but can't because you're high.

In other words, it's the perfect way to tell the story of Doc Sportello, a private eye who also seemed to miss the memo that hippies are out and Nixon is in. Joaquin Phoenix is absolutely masterful as Doc, who exists in a perpetual purple haze, bumbling his way from misadventure to misadventure as he attempts to unravel the mystery of a plot to throw his "ex-old lady's" land developer boyfriend into a looney bin.

On the way, he reacts as we do - confused, overwhelmed, inquisitive - to Jenna Malone's junkie searching for her missing husband Owen Wilson; Martin Short's drug-addled pedophile dentist; Josh Brolin's buzz-cut-wearing cop; and the unending pileup of characters that ensues.

It's a hot mess, but immensely watchable (particularly Brolin), and PTA has never been interested in making straightforward movies. In this, he's also straitjacketed for the first time to another artist's style, and although I have not read any Thomas Pynchon (this has persuaded me), one gets the sense that it's a perfect marriage of director and author.

With "The Master," Anderson moved further than ever away from conventional narrative. "Inherent Vice" sees him abandon it almost entirely, an unbelievably risky move that hopefully garners enough support for him to keep doing his thing.